Training cartridge



May 21, 1963 A. H. BURNS, JR

TRAINING CARTRIDGE Filed Feb. 19, 1962 JfiiEENTORI ARTHUR H. BURNS JR QOW ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,090,309 TRAINING CARTRIDGE Arthur H. Burns, Jr., Alton, 11]., assignor to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 174,228 4 Claims. (Cl. 102-41) This invention relates to the art of training dogs for the retrieval of game and in particular relates to an improved blank cartridge used for such training.

In the art of training bird dogs, the animals must be taught to lose their shyness and become accustomed to recognizing the explosive report of a shot shell. One way of doing this has been to fire a series of conventional loaded shot shells which is not only a relatively expensive procedure, but also can be a dangerous one because of the projectiles being fired in an extroardinarily great quantity as compared to the usual limited number of shots made by the average hunter. The use of various blank cartridges has also been considered along with the use of cartridges having a simulated, but harmless projectile load. The use of such blanks has in general not been satisfactory because the explosive report obtainable with them does not sound like the report of a regular shot shell. The report level of blank rifie and pistol cartridges for this reason has not been found acceptable. Blank shot shell cartridges for the same reason had been found unsatisfactory.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel practice shell for use in training by firing the shell from a shot gun with the same sound produced with a conventional shell without the projection of any harmful or substantially discernible projectile load. Another object is to train dogs by accustoming them to the sound of firing without training them to expect an uncharacteristic shot or to look for any projected parts of the shell instead of the game.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing of a training cartridge, a side view of which is shown in cross section.

According to this invention there is provided a blank shell having a charge of explosive powder 3 forming a propellant load generally a bit less than that usual for a regular shell of this gauge and an obturating charge of such a frangible nature that the latter will project easily from the shell without ejection of any particle capable of accomplishing any dangerous penetration. The second charge, found suitable for obturating and producing a report that is virtually indistinguishable from the report of a regular shell loaded with a charge of lead shot, is made up of a frangible card wad 4 over the powder and then a pressed column 5 of suitable wad particles such as corn cob meal. Any suitable cereal or cellulosic meal is contemplated such as oat meal, ground bagasse, pulverized Sphagnum moss, wheat or oat hulls and saw dust. The resulting cartridge having an integral closure 7, upon discharge has the advantage of projecting no discernible pieces large enough to attract a dogs attention and mistrain the animal to expect chase or retrieve such pieces instead of game.

The smokeless powder shell of this invention includes an integral closure, by which is meant the in-folded closure of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,582,124, granted to R. S. Holmes, and also shown on the accompanying drawing.

Such a smokeless powder shell produces a sound quality similar to that of a conventional shot shell as the 3,000,300 Patented May 21, 1963 June 10, 1952; any other type performing as well or better for the purpose is contemplated.

The wad material is made by dipping an absorbent cellulosic fiber paper board stock into an aqueous syrup of urea-formaldehyde having a solids content about 1.8- 2.0 pounds of resin per gallon, partially drying the substantially completely saturated stock to permit only slight polymerization of the resin, and then treating the impregnated stock With a suitable catalyst such as a dilute solution of a mineral acid or of an acid reacting salt to accelerate the polymerization to quickly harden the material. Small disks are punched out of the board to make the wad between the powder and the cob meal; this Wad disintegrates during firing into tiny fragments.

A piece of paper of 40 pound weight and about 0.0015 of an inch thick held 15 feet from the muzzle of the gun remains unperforated by any particles discharged during the firing of these shells.

In the illustrated embodiment a regular 12 gauge shot shell case 1 is first loaded next to the primer 2 with about 24 grains of a suitable smokeless powder propellant 3 compressed under the frangible wad 4 at a ram force of about 6 0 pounds, and finally loaded with the charge 5 of dry corn cob ground to a suitable predetermined granulation and also compressed at about the same pressure. One suitable granulation employed had the following distribution of particle size as determined by separation in a sieve test:

U.S. Standard #10 sieve, 1% max. passing U.S. Standard #14 sieve, 55% max. passing U.S. Standard #20 sieve, 65% max. passing U.S. Standard #40 sieve, 55 max. passing U.S. Standard #6 0 sieve, 1% max. passing In the 12 gauge shell each dry meal charge weighs about 69 grains and is compressed under the 60 pound force at a ramming pressure of about 490 psi, i.e. around 500 p.s.i.

The end of the shell is then closed by pie cut crimping it in at end 7 re-entrant folds 8 abutted against each other around the end, the central point being sealed at 9 by wax.

Although the foregoing is now believed to describe a preferred embodiment, various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dog training cartridge comprising a regular shot shell of a given gauge having a primed end and opposite said end a cartridge closure integral with said shell,

a less than regular charge of explosive propellant in said shell adjacent said primed end, an intervening wad of frangible material pressed over said propellant, and a charge of cellulosic meal compressed in said shell against said wad to form for disintegrating under shell firing a column of said meal of predetermined granulation and compression extending between said wad and closure, said closure sealing said column and being nondisintegrating and together with said column and wad being operative to obturate said shell and produce with said charge an audible report substantially indistinguishable from the report of a regular shell conventionally loaded to include shot.

2. A dog training cartridge comprising a regular 12 gauge shot shell having a primed end and opposite said end a cartridge closure integral with said shell, a less than regular charge of explosive propellent in said shell adjacent said primed end, an intervening wad of frangible material pressed over said propellent and a charge of cellulosic meal compressed in said shell against said wad to form for disintegrating under shell firing a column of said meal of predetermined granulation extending between said Wad and closure sealing said column in said shell, said closure sealing said column and being non-disintegrating and together with said column and wad being operative to obturate said shell and produce with said charge an audible report substantially undistinguishable from the report of a regular shell of the same gauge conventionally loaded to include shot, said meal being dry corn cob meal compressed at a pressure of about 500 pounds per square inch.

3. The cartridge of claim 2 wherein the meal has a weight of about 69 grains and a granulation such that not more than 1% passes through a US. Standard sieve, not more than 55% passes through a US. Standard #14 sieve, not more than 65% passes through a US. Standard sieve, not more than passes through a US. Standard #40 sieve, and not more than 1% passes through a US. Standard sieve.

4. The cartridge of claim 2 wherein the wad is a cellulosic fiber Wad impregnated with polymerized ureaformaldehyde resin.

References (fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,485,337 Schuricht et al. Feb. 26, 1924 2,599,943 Russell June 10, 1952 2,603,156 Lathrop et al. July 15, 1952 2,682,222 Richardson et al. June 29, 1954 2,851,991 Rinck Sept 16, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,149 Great Britain of 1903 

1. A DOG TRAINING CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A REGULAR SHOT SHELL OF A GIVEN GAUGE HAVING A PRIMED END AND OPPOSITE SAID END A CARTRIDGE CLOSURE INTEGRAL WITH SAID SHELL, A LESS THAN REGULAR CHARGE OF EXPLOSIVE PROPELLANT IN SAID SHELL ADJACENT SAID PRIMED END, AN INTERVENING WAD OF FRANGIBLE MATERIAL PRESSED OVER SAID PROPELLANT, AND A CHARGE OF CELLULOSIC MEAL COMPRESSED IN SAID SHELL AGAINST SAID WAD TO FORM FOR DISINTEGRATING UNDER SHELL FIRING A COLUMN OF SAID MEAL OF PREDETERMINED GRANULATION AND COMPRESSION EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID WAD AND CLOSURE, SAID CLOSURE SEALING SAID COLUMN AND BEING NONDISINTEGRATING AND TOGETHER WITH SAID COLUMN AND WAD BEING OPERATIVE TO OBTURATE SAID SHELL AND PRODUCE WITH SAID CHARGE AN AUDIBLE REPORT SUBSTANTIALLY INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE REPORT OF A REGULAR SHELL CONVENTIONALLY LOADED TO INCLUDE SHOT. 